Introspective
by Gijinka Renamon
Summary: Zane muses on his past, and his future. Rated just to be sure.


Introspective

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh GX is not mine; it belongs to the great Kazuki Takahashi. Also, the lyrics below are owned by the band it came from.

* * *

_**How long I'm tied up  
**__**My mind in knots and my stomach reels**_**_In concern of I might do or what I've done  
_****_It's got me living in fear  
_**_**And I know  
**__**These voices must be my soul  
**__**I've had enough  
**__**I've had enough of being alone  
**_**_But I've got no place to go…  
_**_-Excerpt from "Rhyme and Reason", by the Dave Matthews Band_

* * *

Dull blue-green eyes stared up blankly at the cracked cement ceiling, inspecting their every flaw. These eyes belonged to Zane Truesdale, once among the best students at Duel Academy. No one could best him in a duel, and soon, he was on his way to the pro leagues.

Things seemed to be going his way. But then tragedy struck as he was soundly defeated by Aster Phoenix. Now, any other person would take this in stride, and just go on with their lives, but not Zane. This loss affected him so much, that he fell into a loosing streak that seemed endless.

For a while, it seemed hopeless. Then he was approached by a man named Shroud about getting a dueling deal that would get him in the spotlight again. Zane readily agreed without thinking of the consequences, an action that would haunt him.

But he soon found out that the types of duels he would be in were underground type, battles so secretive that the viewers had to wear masks to hide their identities. In these duels, the noble game of Duel Monsters was twisted and corrupted into a life-or-death match where the spectators cared little for the lives of the duelists; rather, they only cared about how the game played out.

To make the game more "interesting", combatants had devices attached to them that gave out electrical shocks every time the wearer lost Life Points. And if they lost all their life points…well, you get the idea.

At first, Zane was hesitant, and didn't want to fight, especially after finding out what happens to the losers. But Shroud said he couldn't leave until the duel was over, whether he won or lost.

So then Zane was forced into dueling, even though his opponent, a big guy who sounded like he had been sucking helium more than anything, was thwarting his every move. And finally, he snapped, and dumping his usual practice of respecting other people's cards, proceeded to beat the living snot out of the other guy.

He had survived his baptism of fire, only to be reborn as a demon of darkness, a phoenix made for destruction.

Now, some people say that "The eyes are the windows to the soul". If you'd looked into Zane's eyes a few months ago, you would see a duelist whose skills could rival that of the great Yugi Muto.

But if you looked into them now, you would see no trace of the person he once was. You would see a cold glare, hints of madness, and a total disregard for his opponent's deck, as well as his own.

But then again, no one would want to look him in the eyes now.

Not like he cared. Not any more.

Zane turned on his side, his mind clouded by dark thoughts. What would his brother say? What would he think? Zane couldn't care less, although a tiny part of him was worried about what he would think.

But no matter how much his inner self wanted to ditch the "Hell Kaizer" persona, how much he desired to go back and tell his little brother he was sorry for all that had happened, he couldn't.

He just couldn't.

"Hell Kaizer?"

A southern-accented voice snapped him out of his reverie. Looking up, he saw Shroud leaning against the doorway, the dim light glinting of his glasses. "It's time fer yer next match."

"Alright, I'm coming."

He got out of bed and strode out the room, grabbing his duel disk on the way.

Whatever happened, it seemed that Zane Truesdale was gone for good.

And nothing could bring him back from the brink of darkness.

**_Owari_**

* * *

Well that was…grim. 

Please go easy on me; I was planning to do this for a while now.

This is sort of an early birthday gift for my friend, who likes the series. However, you can tell me if I should change anything, or add something. And if you want, please tell me what part/description you liked.


End file.
